Ophthalmoscope connection for dry-battery handles



W. N. ALLYN OPHTHALMOSCOPE CONNECTION FOR DRY BATTERY HANDLES Filed Aug. 14, 1922 FIG I .lllll lllllllllll llllllllllllIlllllllllllllllllllllllL fl? NVEN OR ATTOREY Patented Nov. 18, 1924.

WILLIAM NOAH ALLYN, OF AUBURN, YORK.

OPHTHALMOSGOPE CONNECTION FOR DRY-BATTERY HANDLES.

Application filed August 14,1922. Serial No. 581,684.

tions for Dry-Battery Handles, of which the 7 following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an electric battery handle'for ophthalmoscopes and analogous instruments in which a cylindrical case constitutes a handle for enclosing. a cylindrical battery for supplying current to the electric lamp of the attached instrument.

In devices of this character it is frequently necessary to attach different instruments to the battery handle, according to the requirements of the examination, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide means whereby these changes of instruments may be made more expeditiously and with less liability of imperfect circuit connections than has heretofore been practiced, and at the same time to enable the operator to use lights of different intensities through the medium of the same lamp.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the device will be brought out in the following description:

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a, battery handle and ophthalmoscope attached thereto.

Figure 2 is' a side elevation, partly in section, of the same device.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the battery handle showing the use of an extension coupling section for the reception of the usual screw attachment for an ophthalmoscope or other instrument.

Figure 4 is an inverted plan of the detached battery handle cap, showing more particularly the rheostat for regulating the intensity of the light in the lamp.

Figure 5 is a rear elevation fpartly broken away, of the upper portion 0 the ophthalmoscope, showing the lens supporting disk and sight openings.

Figures 6 an 7 are perspective views respectively-of the lower end of the supporting standard for the ophthalmoscope and battery coupling therefor.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the lamp circuit, including the rheostat.

As illustrated, this device comprises acylindrical battery handle consisting of a metallic case 1, having opposite end heads or caps, -2- and 3, also of metal, in electrical connection with the metal case -1, to form a part of the battery circuit, and adapted to receive and enclose a cylindrical battery 4--, which includes a metal cylindrical shell, -5, as one of the poles, and is provided with an additional central pole 6- at its upper end, the 'battery shell 5:-- being enclosed in a cylindrical sheathing 7-, of cardboard or equivalent insulating material to protect the same from contact with the side walls of the metallic casing 1.

The metal battery shell 5 is provided with a metal bottom -8 in electrical connection therewith, and serving as a bearing for the upper end of a coil spring 9, which is secured to thetbottom cap -2-,v and forms an electrical connection between the battery shell 5- and metal case 1-, through the medium of the cap This cap -2- is removably secured to the lower end of the case 1-, by means of a bayonet lock connection, conslsting of diametrically opposite pins 10-, which enter angular slots 11- in the adjacent portions of the case 1-, and shown by dotted lines in Figure 1. The spring -9, in addition to its function of forming a part of the battery circuit. als serves to hold the battery -4 in place and to frictionally hold the cap 2-- against turning on the case 1.

The upper metal cap -3 is secured by screws or equivalent fastening means, to the adjacent end of the case 1, in electrical connection therewith, and directly over the center terminal 6 of the batin electrical connection therewith, the up battery handle.

per end being reduced in diameter to form a shoulder l3-, and is providedwith diametrically opposite lugs --'14r some dis tance from the shoulder 13, to form part of the means for attaching an ophthalnmscope or other instrument to the battery handle,

The reduced upper'end f the coupling member 12- is surrounded b a metal sleeve l5, which is slidab e axially thereon, and is provided at its upper end with a shoulder -16. A light coil sprin --l'a also surrounds the reduced upper end of the coupling 12' within the sleeve 15- and has its lower end resting upon the shoulder 13- and its upper end against the annular shoulder 16 of the sleeve, to exert upward axial pressure upon said sleeve toward the lugs 1l.

That is, the sleeve 15- is movable axially on the reduced outer end of the coupler 12, between the lugs -14:- and an annular shoulder 18 on the coupling memher, and constitutes a yielding abutment for the inner end of the standard, as -l9-, of an ophthalmoscope or other instrument which it may be desired to attach to the The base of the standard -19- is enlarged and hollow, and is provided with an internal annular groove 20, and diametrically opposite recesses -21-, extending from the annular groove to the lower end of the standard, for receiving the lugs 14:-, and permitting the latter to interlock in the groove 20 by relative turning movement of the standard 19- and battery handle.

That is, in attaching the opthalmosco-pe or other instrument, the hollow base of the standard 19'-- is placed over and upon the reduced upper end of the coupling member l2, with the recesses 21 registered with the in s 1 l-, and the lower end of the standar engaged with the upper end of the sleeve -15, whereupon by downward pressure of the standard against'the sleeve, the latter will be depressed against the action of the spring '17- until the lugs 14:- are registered with the groove 20, after which the standard is turned relatively to the battery case, to cause the lugs to enter the groove and thereby lock the ophthalmoscope or other instrument to the coupling member 12, which issecured to and forms a part of the battery handle.

lln some makes of ophthalmoscopes, the bases thereof are threaded internally for screw on ageinent with an externally threaded nipple on the battery, and in order that an instrument of that character may be used with my battery handle, l have provided a supplemental coupling section l9', somew at similar to the hollow base release of the standard -19-, in that it is provided with an inner annular groove -20-, and diametrically opposite recesses like 21-, for receiving the lugs l.-- on the nipple 12, the upper end of the supplemental couplingsection l9- being provided with a reduced externally threaded extension -22- for receiving the internally threaded base of the ophthalmoscope or similar instrument, and thereby coupling the same to the nipple -l2.' Y

The ophthalmoscope shown includes a relatively thin and fiat case, or housing 23, secured fiatwise to one side of the standard --19 by means of a clamping screw 24, and containing a rotary circular disk -25-, which extends through diametrically opposite openings 26, in the case -23 to be engaged and operated by the fingers of the user.

An electric lamp socket -27 is secured to the back of the upper end of the standard l9-- for receiving a'relatively small electric lamp -28, which may be electrically connected in any suitable manner to the terminals oi' the battery.

The case 23, upper end of the standard -19, and lamp socket 27-, are provided with registering sight-openings 29 along the upper side of the lamp -28- to enable the operator to properly focus the light upon the object under examination.

The disk 25-' is also provided with a sight-opening and a circumferential series of ophthalmoscope lenses, -30 and 31, adapted to be registered with the sight-opening -29, as the disk is rotated.

The base of the standard --19 is pro vided with an internal stop shoulder -32--,

extending across the groove -20 near one of the recesses .'21-, to engage either of the lugs 1 l for limiting the relative turning movement of the standard upon the battery handle when the lugs 1 i are interlocked with the groove -20.

One side of the lamp filament is electrically connected to a conducting stem 33-, which is cent-rally secured within the standard 19-, to extend into the upper end of the nipple 12, and is insulated from the metallic standard 19- in any suitable manner not necessary to herein illustrate or describe, the other side of the lamp filament being in electrical connection with said standard, the latter being in electrical connection with the nipple -l2 when attached thereto and through the medium of the upper cap -3, casing ]l, lower cap --2- and spring --9-, is in electrical connection with one side of the battery 4l-.

A tubular insulating bushing -34lis secured by screw engagement in the lower end of the nipple 12, and carries a vertically mova le yielding contact member lli) ltlll -35, which is spring pressed into electrical contactwith the lower end of the conducting stem 33 by means of a light coil spring 36, the latter being placed within the bushing 3l, and has its upper end engaged with the lower enlarged end of the stem of the contact member -35 and its lower end engaged with a metallic washer 37-. This metallic washer 37- is connected by an insulated wire 38 to a binding post 39- in one side of the case 1 and upper cap 8, said bushing being insulated from the case and cap by an insulating sleeve 40- Figure 4.

The binding post 39 is connected by a wire 41 to a coil 42-- of a suitable rheostat having a rotary contact member 43, Figures 2, 4 and 7 which is pivotally mounted on the lower end of the bushing -34, by means of a screw 4A, the latter being screwed into the lower end of the bushing and forming aseat for a fibre washer 4:7.

The battery 4- is spring-pressed upwardly by the spring 9, and firmly holds its terminal 6- in electrical contact with the head of the screw 44.

A lock nut45 is engaged with the lower end of the bushing 34:, and serves to hold the latter in operative position, but is insulated from the contact member 43 by an insulating washer 46, Figure 2.

. An insulating disk 48 is interposed between the rheostat lever 43 and top of the cap 3 and serves as a support "for an insulating bar 49, which is secured to the underside of said disk 48- by means of screws -50.- and around which the rheostat coil 42 is wound.

The rheostat lever 43 is in electrical connection with the screw 44-, and has one end movable along the coil 42 in contact therewith, and its other end provided with an upwardly projecting ofi'set ---43 extended through registering openings in the insulating disk 48, and cap 3, and engaged in a recess in the underside of a hand wheel 5l, of insulating material, which turn is revolubl mounted upon the lower end of the nipp e'12- between the top of the cap 3 and the annular shoulder 18, for shifting the lever 43 around the coil 42, as the wheel -51 is rotated.

That is, the insulating wheel 51 constitutes the actuating member for the rheostat to vary the intensity of the light of the lamp -28.

The lighting circuit is as follows: from the center-pole 6 of the battery, to the screw -44, lever 43, coil 42-, wire -41, to the binding-post -39; thence through the wire 38, metal washer v37, spring '36, contact members 35 and -33, and thence through a wire not shown, to one side of the lamp, the other side of the lamp being in electrical connection with the standard 19, and through the nipple 12 with the case l and return through the spring 9 to the other pole of the battery.

The object in connecting the metallic washer 37 and rheostat coil --'l2- to the binding post 39-, by separate wires 38 and 41, instead of connecting said washer and coil directly to each other, is to permit the binding post to be used as a part of another circuit, in which case the opposite side of the case -1 and cap ,3 would be provided with an additional binding screw 52 in electrical contact therewith, so that another translating device might be connected to this binding post and supplied with current from the same battery.

What I claim is:

An ophthalmoscope connectionfor dry battery handles comprising a hollow coupling member rigidly secured to one end of the battery handle and provided with radial lugs, a sleeve slidable on the coupling mem-' ber between said lugs and adjacent end of the handle and normally spring pressed against said lugs, and a hollow supporting member for the ophthalmoscope telescoping with the outer end of the first named member and engaging the outer end of the sleeve for pressing the latter inwardly against the action of its spring away from said lugs, the second named member being provided with grooves which engage said lugs by angular movement thereof relatively to the first named member for locking the two members together and holding the sleeve against the action of the spring.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM NOAH ALLYN. Witnesses:

F. E. WoRDER, G. E. SNYDER. 

